Prince Charles heading to East Asia

LONDON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Prince Charles has declined to abandon a planned East Asian trip because of the credit crisis, with a spokesman saying the tour will help Britain.

The prince's wife, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, will accompany him to Japan and Brunei but, in a controversial move, she will fly home instead of going to Indonesia, The Daily Telegraph reported. The prince's office said that she will fly back to Britain on a scheduled flight and the cost of her ticket will not be born by the taxpayers.

The duchess needs time to rest up before a trip to France with her husband to mark the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I, said the spokesman, also citing the heat and humidity of Indonesia. Camilla carries out about 230 official engagements a year, about half as many as her 82-year-old mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth.

The 10-day trip is expected to cost 500,000 pounds (almost $1 million) in spite of cost-cutting efforts like reducing the size of the royal entourage from 20 to 12.

"Despite the costs, and the current economic situation, the government has confirmed that it wants this tour to go ahead given the strategic priorities this trip will address," the prince's office announced. "Clearly the trip takes place against the backdrop of considerable international turmoil."